So another trip Stateside comes to an end. I’ve packed my bags and compacted my belongings and all things new into what seems like an air-tight mocrocosm of luggage space. Packing is always such a drag. But as Erin commented as she met me from Houston Airport in the summer, I travel amazingly light, but still somehow seem to bring too much.

I’ve had a lot of fun as usual visiting with friends and enjoying a slightly low key Christmas in unseasonally awful weather in Oregon. A trip for a couple of days to the coast allowed us to catch up on movies most of the time as the bizarrely warm rain simply only stopped for a short time. If it had been the summer I would have been dissapointed, but this trip was more about kicking back and relaxing rather than anything else.

Hanging out with friends, and interacting with some of lifes colorful characters at the Portland Coffee house was fun. Plus I got a hotel suite for a couple of days in downtown Portland with my own personal hot tub on my balcony overlooking the people on the streets below. That was cool, or actually it would be more correct to say it was damn hot! Christine even came and enjoyed the experience with me before we went to get some suchi, my favorite food of choice in the Northwest (though I’m quite sure Sushi would be good most anywhere).

Portland itself is a great city. Its full of a fine selection of the some of the best examples of American wierdo’s and wacko’s that I think anyone could hope to find. From the snooty snobs of the West Hills in their beautiful homes and pristine clothes, to the crazy ‘tweakers’ who rome the streets arguing loudly with their imaginary friends.

In the Portland Coffee House, Christine and I were greeted warmly by a very normal looking black guy who seemed happy just to chat with us, so much so that he offered to buy us our drinks. However it soon became obvious that he was one of lifes ‘special people’ when the two normal people we thought he was with beat a quick retreat looking back at us with that ‘now he’s your problem’ look on their face. Pretty soon he was accusing me of being a racist because the inside of my jack was orange!?

I went all over the place seeing friends and getting into the whole seasonal scrum that is shopping. I pretty much hate having to fight my way around a mall at the best of times, but Christmas is the most loathsome time to get into that game.

I did check out Saturday Market in Portland though, which is a must for anyone who finds themselves anywhere near the city on a weekend. It’s the opposite of one of those nice heated malls that seem ubiquites in the States. Saturday Market is open air and at this time of the year is cold too. But the little stalls are about as far from any brand name you could hope to get in the North West of the United States. Local artists sell all kinds of things from clothing weaved from hemp, to home made soda. It’s one of my favorite places to visit when I’m in the area.

We also headed to the mountains of which there is quite a generous choice. On this occasion it was mount hood and the ski resort of Timberline Lodge. Though I’ve yet to see the lodge really under a deluge of snow. We can blame that on global warming I suppose, although I met some Americans on this trip who informed me that global warming was not actually a problem and more than that is “just a lie peddled by those liberals” in order to push trade agendas with names and motives that I really can’t remember.

And talking of “liberals”, we didn’t hit one strip club this time around. Usually Missy and her friends take me along to a strip club for reasons that I forget not, but really aren’t important. I think initially they took me to one because, hard as this is to believe, I’d never been to a strip club before, let alone one where the stripper wiggle around in their birthday suits.

All in all it was another good trip.